


Worldly Hunters

by NandryWinchester



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Action/Adventure, Gen, Season/Series 14 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-14
Updated: 2019-03-14
Packaged: 2019-11-17 18:26:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18103967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NandryWinchester/pseuds/NandryWinchester
Summary: Jack has taken off following Cas being taken by the Empty and Lucifer's return.Dean and Sam meet two new hunters and ally with them to find Jack.





	Worldly Hunters

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own any of the characters from Supernatural. I have created my own original characters for the purposes of this story.
> 
> Takes place approximately following Season 14. 
> 
> Written assuming Cas has been taken by the Empty and Lucifer has returned from the Empty as well.
> 
> This is my first post ever. Please leave comments and suggestions, but be kind.

Clayton, New Mexico – Farmhouse, at night.

The black car pulled off the main road onto the lane-way. The lights dimmed and the engine quieted as the car coasted along the gravel drive towards the dilapidated, white, two-story building. The breaks squealed slightly when the car stopped by the side of the house. A tall man exited the driver’s side, drawing a flashlight and a small toolkit from the passenger seat.

The man’s name was Dean Winchester. He was over six feet tall. His dirty blond hair was worn short along the sides and longer on top. It was unkempt, but it naturally swept towards the right. His olive green eyes were slightly down-turned and crow’s feet were beginning to form at the edges when he smiled. His skin had a golden tone with a smattering of freckles across his nose from the sun and his full lips were bright in stark contrast to the shadowy facial hair on his square jaw. Dean’s long bow legs and construction worker build stood strong and controlled. He wore his typical attire which consisted of jeans, a black t-shirt, layered with an open flannel button up, a black cord jacket, and sturdy workman boots.

Silently, Dean climbed the three stairs to the porch, expertly and quietly picking the deadbolt on the side door. Once inside, he extracted a machete that was stowed in a scabbard attached to the worn leather belt on the waistband of his jeans. He walked carefully along the hallway of the run down building, his back to the wall. Holding his breath, Dean raised his machete to shoulder height, pivoted around the corner and aimed his flashlight into the dark room. Surprise and confusion came over his face as he scanned the room finding two dead bodies decapitated on the floor.

Dean’s phone rang. It was his brother, Sam.

“Dean?” Sam asked. “I’ve got three dead vamps at the warehouse. They are already on the pyre and burned.”

“I have two more decapitated bodies here at the nest. It looks like another hunter beat us to the punch.” Dean replied relaxing from his defensive stance. “This looks pro too”, Dean continued. “Clean cuts, not a lot of damage to the building. Quick and precise. Do we know of any hunters in the area right now?”

“No. Dean, whoever this is has taken out at least five vamps tonight-“

Suddenly, Dean felt a pounding pain in his wrist and felt his machete fall to the floor as he was twisted around to find himself face to face with a petite dark haired girl with blood spattered on her delicate features. She easily twirled Dean so his back was against the door frame and the hand holding the phone fell to his side. Dean swallowed nervously. He sensed rather than felt a long blade at his throat. A voice from the shadows stated, “You don’t look like a blood sucker to me.”

“Who is that...Dean?” Sam’s voice came through the phone clear and panicked.

The young woman who had Dean ensnared stared into his eyes with her head cocked slightly to the left. She was a light-skinned, her dark brown hair was pulled into a long single braid, and her large brown eyes pointed at the edges. Dean briefly thought about forcefully shoving her and making a dash for his machete, but despite her stature, it was clear to Dean that she was well-trained and the deadly intent in her eyes made Dean certain she could maintain the upper hand should they spar. As if in answer to his considerations, and with a motion so quick Dean barely saw her move, the small teenager with the long sword grabbed the phone and tossed it to the other woman emerging from the dark hallway without taking her eyes off of Dean.

“Are you with them?” the woman said into the phone with clear dominance.

Dean breath hitched lightly as he took in the appearance of the second woman. Not in fear, but with appreciation for her strong and graceful physique and confident movements. She was tall and thin with a European look. Her skin was pale and smooth. Her hazel eyes seemed knowledgeable and experienced. Her brown locks were loosely pulled into a ponytail and her natural pink lips, were held in a straight line.

“My name is Sam Winchester. You have my brother Dean. We are hunters from Kansas.” Dean could just make out his brother’s voice explaining. The woman twirled a small knife in her hand as she listened to Sam. When it seemed Sam was finished, the woman paused her twirling and appeared to make a decision. With one quick phrase, “Yasume,” from the older woman, Dean was freed from the hold of the younger hunter, her sword returning to its sheath at her waist. The older woman reached her hand out to return the phone to Dean.

“I’m Olivia. This is Dawn. We were just about to take these bodies to the pyre out back and light it up. You are welcome to help with the cleanup since you missed all the hard,” Olivia declared as she strutted past Dean to help Dawn with the headless body she was preparing to move.

Dean held the phone to his ear and quickly gave Sam directions to the farm house where the nest had been found. Once he hung up the phone, he moved to the last body and began checking the pockets for anything of interest. He wasn’t particularly happy to be taking orders from some woman he’d just met, but he was fascinated by these two hunters and his curiosity made him uncharacteristically accommodating.

By the time Sam arrived, the three hunters had piled the bodies and covered them in branches. The total body count turned out to be seven, the women having already dragged out two bodies before Dean’s arrival at the farm. Dean was impressed.

Before long Sam pulled an old Ford into view around to the side of the house. Dean turned from the pyre and walked to his brother as Sam leaned on Dean’s 1967 Chevrolet Impala that had belonged to their father. At 6’4”, Sam was taller than Dean and appeared lanky when compared to Dean’s stocky frame. Sam slipped his hands in the pockets of his jeans and nodded his chiseled jaw towards the ladies who were just pulling accelerant from the back of a 1973, Dark Green Lincoln Continental.

A brief unspoken conversation passed between the two men. Sam’s hazel eyes displaying a questioning concern to his brother, and Dean returning it with a smug smile, raising his eyebrows to indicate his fascination with the previously unknown hunters. Sam relaxed his stature slightly and ran his hand through his long brown hair. Rising from the hood of the car, they boys rejoined their new allies just as Dawn threw a lit matchbook on the pyre.

…

The sun was coming up by the time the group headed back to the motel for showers. Once they had cleaned up, Sam suggested, they could head down the road for breakfast to get to know each other better. Sam had struck up a genial conversation with the new hunters while they watched the fire, but they didn’t stick around long once the blaze really took off.

Once breakfast was ordered and the waitress had turned her attention to other patrons, Sam briefly explained that he and Dean had worked with a group of hunters out of Lebanon, Kansas, where they had a base of operation that they called home.  
It turned out that the Liv had only recently returned to North America after spending most of her adult life in East Asia, specifically the mountains of the Kansai region in Japan.

Liv had grown up in Canada and married at the age of 19. Her husband, Tobin, was a young scientific prodigy and had obtained a job working at an up and coming scientific research company in Osaka, Japan. Shortly after Dawn was born, he had begun working very long hours and before Dawn was two years old, Liv’s husband had died.

After his death, Liv and Dawn were taken in by a monastery of supernatural fighting monks who had been trying to help Tobin. It turned out the company that he worked for was run by a small group of supernatural beings and her husband had been killed by a leyak, a vampire-like creature native to Japan. The monks trained Liv and helped care for Dawn, raising her, educating her, protecting her, and watching her while her mother hunted for the leyak that had killed Tobin.

Once Dawn was 13, they even educated her about supernatural topics and trained her in martial arts. Dawn begged her mom to let her joined the fight, but Liv was adamant that Dawn continue her studies and aid with research and case finding from the safety of the monastery. That was until one night when Dawn was 15 and the fight made its way to their compound. Dawn had proven herself capable, resourceful and fearless in that fight and with their home destroyed, Olivia and Dawn began to make their way back to North America. They hunted in Asia, Russia and Europe and even spend a little time in Africa over the last few years. Finally, they had come to America about six months ago.

Since Dawn had grown up surrounded by monks, and met hunters from all over the world, she was very interested in the American hunters and the bunker where they lived. Dawn spent most of breakfast trying to convince her mother to return to Lebanon for a short while.

The two women were very close and they had an air of lightness. They were a happy pair. Dean noticed it as they left the motel. It seemed like the women were able to wash the weight of the job off with the blood in the shower. They had decided to walk to the café for breakfast because the air was cool and the restaurant was only a few blocks away. The women smiled and laughed and had a bounce in their steps that Dean hardly ever saw in hunters. It was mesmerizing to watch. They seemed to be truly present in the moment, the hunt having been left in the past by the rising sun. He wondered if it was something the monks had taught them, or just part of their genetic makeup. Dean hoped it was something that could be taught.

Liv seemed hesitant, at first, to follow the men back to Lebanon, but she was eventually persuaded. Sam mentioned they were looking for a missing hunter when they had caught wind of the vampires in Clayton and were hoping to use the resources and research material that was available at the bunker to track him down. The vast knowledge and security of the bunker seemed to pique her interest and Liv agreed to check it out until they figured out their next step. The four hunters returned to the motel and agreed to sleep a couple hours before driving the six plus hours to Lebanon.

Shortly after noon there was a knock at the door. Liv rose quickly, taking her small knife from under her pillow, and quietly opened the door a crack. When she was greeted by Dean, she stepped outside the room to avoid disturbing Dawn.  
“Hi, did you need something?” she asked, noting the concerned look on his face.

“We got a line on our missing hunter. We need to stop in Syracuse on the way home.” Dean explained.

“Oh,” Liv said disappointedly. “I see.” She began twirling her knife in her hand while she considered the meaning behind the words. She understood. The men had probably changed their minds about inviting the unknown female hunters to their base of operation. Liv had seen it before. When fatigue is setting in and the excitement of meeting new people (people who understand the life, people who you don’t have to lie to in basic conversation) has worn off, the paranoia of the unknown begins to creep back in and hunters may regret snap decisions after a few hours of rest. Liv had been there herself, when protecting the monks and Dawn from hunters she had met in her quest for vengeance, but in the end, it hadn’t saved her home.

Of course, once they left Japan, Liv was able to rely on Dawn’s instinct when it came to strangers. Dawn had a really good sense about these hunters from Kansas, and Liv could see the openness in Dawn’s behaviour during breakfast. So Liv had lowered her guard and relaxed, hoping to build trust with these American hunters that seemed like genuinely good people. Regretfully, the hunters did not seem to feel the same about her and Dawn.

“I’ll just wait until you guys to leave before I wake Dawn then. Thanks for the heads up.” Liv tried to hide the regret in her voice as she turned around to put her hand on the knob. She was not looking forward to the hurt in her daughter’s eyes when she explained what had transpired.

“Wait,” Dean reached for Liv’s hand and stayed her movement. “We could really use your help on this. Dawn’s too.”

“Are you sure?” Liv carefully replied, searching the man’s eyes for any hint that he might be feigning interest to save her feelings.

“Jack, the hunter, is about the same age as Dawn,” Dean lied. “Maybe she can understand his pattern of behaviour better than we can. It might help us track him down faster.” Dean shifted uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his neck, knowing he or Sam would have to explain Jack’s age and what he is to the hunters eventually. Dean mentally nominated Sam.

Jack had been through a lot in the last couple years. He was born May 17, 2017, only being just over two human years old. He is a Nephilim, the son of Lucifer, the Archangel, and Kelly Kline, a human. His mother spoke to him when he was in the womb and Jack believed that he needed to come into the world able to defend himself because the world would be too dangerous for him as an infant or a child. And so, Jack was already aged to approximately seventeen human years when Sam found him moments after his delivery.

Since his birth, he has had to master the powers afforded him by his grace, traveled to an apocalypse world and fought a war there, had most of his grace stolen by his father, died, was resurrected and used his soul to maintain his life while his grace replenished.

The loss of Cas, Jack’s surrogate father, last month and the return of his biological father from the empty were particularly hard on him. Jack had taken off following the events and Dean and Sam had hoped a little time and space was all he needed. However, Jack had barely spoken to them since and Dean was worried. Dean felt like Olivia and Dawn might be the answer. Maybe one of them could get through to Jack.  
With a small smile, Liv told Dean she would wake Dawn, pack everything up, and they could be on the road within the hour.

***

Syracuse, Kansas

The small town was having trouble with a ghoul of some kind. Jack was sure of it. He hadn’t called for information, or help. He had only called Dean’s cell to hear a familiar voice. He was beginning to feel isolated. He knew it was for the best. He didn’t want anyone to get hurt. He was also trying to keep Lucifer from finding him. It was difficult for him to trust that his father didn’t have eyes watching him wherever he went, so he kept his contact with anyone to a minimum, killed any monster he could find, and had not returned to the bunker. It was safer for Sam and Dean if he was gone.

Last night, in a moment of weakness, of loneliness, he had called one of Dean’s numbers to hear his voice. He didn’t expect anyone to answer. Apparently, Dean had left his phones with someone at the bunker, and when someone picked up on the other end, Jack has started and quickly vacated the phone booth he has found by the diner.

What Jack didn’t realize was that in his haste to hang up and leave, he had missed the hook for the receiver, leaving the receiver dangling, line connected. Rowena had used the open connection to trace the call. When she noted his location was within an hour of Sam and Dean, she called to tell them.

***

Dean hoped they would find Jack in Syracuse. Jack was hidden from witches, angels, and demons, so Rowena didn't know for sure it was him who had made the call to Dean's cell. In most cases, calls like the one Rowena described were hunters or civilians in need of help who had been given the number by someone the Winchesters had saved over the years. The boys would need to check it out regardless, but Dean really hoped it was Jack.

Dean was alone in his baby, driving down the highway lost in thought. Dean was thinking about Jack. During the last couple years, Dean and Jack had a developed a connection, a familial bond that had been built between them. After everything they had been through, Dean had hoped that Jack might have learned to come to his family with his pain, but he seemed to be bottling up his feelings, just like Dean did. Dean was worried about how that might turn out. Jack was having trouble controlling his powers after Cas was taken and his emotional state meant an eventual explosion. Dean had learned that the hard way over the years. He still struggled with it. He knew repressing and ignoring feelings wasn’t the best way to deal with them.

Sam had ridden with Olivia and Dawn so he could bring them up to speed on Jack. Sam was better at the explaining stuff. That’s what Dean told himself. The truth was that Dean didn’t want to talk about it. He was feeling guilty for not being able to protect Jack from what had happened. Dean wanted to find Jack to tell him that they could get through anything as long as they stayed together. Dean wasn’t sure that was true, but he knew the weight of everything that Jack was feeling would eventually crush his spirit if he didn’t share the load. Dean understood that Jack felt like it was his fault that Cas was gone, and that Lucifer was back.

Dean understood how Jack was feeling. Dean had carried that same burden once upon a time when his dad has made a deal to save his life. Dean also knew that he was unable to give Jack a solution to his pain. Dean wanted to articulate that things somehow got better with time, and that the people and happiness you allow into your life can lessen the pain of those you’ve lost. It would take time and connection and meaning in life to move past the anguish of the past. Dean knew this, but he found it difficult to find the words to say it out loud.

Dean also knew that Jack wasn’t ready to hear it. Jack was still drowning in his pain. He needed to be reminded of the good in the world before he would be able to find his way out of the darkness. Dean wanted to pull Jack out of that murky deep, but Dean knew Jack only felt shame and guilt when he looked at Dean. Jack felt guilty that Dean lost his best friend, Cas, because Cas made a deal with the Empty to save Jack.

Dean had struggled with that same feeling of darkness, and he knew it wasn’t easy to come out of, but Dean didn’t have god-like power that could change or destroy the fabric of reality if he didn’t control it. In the end, all Dean could do to help Jack was keep an eye out for him, keep everyone safe while Jack worked through his emotions and got a grip on his powers again, and just maybe, Dean could bring some light into Jack’s life to help him recover. Dean hoped Dawn and Olivia could be the light Jack needed.

***


End file.
